Redeeming Your Minutes (Part 1)

Over the past few months I have been leading a group of women through Jennie Allen’s newest Bible study, “Stuck”. I could write an entire article about this wonderful study, and how the Lord has used it to help our whole group draw closer to Him. However, today I just want to write about one simple statement Jennie said during one of her video teaching sessions. Her words were “How we spend our minutes… it turns out to be how we spend our life.” That statement really resonated with me, and I wanted to do something about it. I don’t want to waste my life.

So I had to ask myself the question; “How do I spend my minutes?” I would like to think that a good portion of my minutes are spent on things in life that are beneficial and profitable. Things like taking care of my family and my home, teaching my preschool classes, serving in my church and other ministries, personal time with God. But, if I am really honest with myself a good portion of my time is spent on things that don’t count for much after this life is gone. Things like the computer, tv, entertainment, books, movies, social media, and a slew of other “mindless” activities. I am not saying that all the things I listed are necessarily bad, but for me at times I use them to fill a void in my life and that is not a good thing.

So how can I “redeem” the minutes of my life? I believe the answer is simple although the application is not always easy. In the bible it says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”(Matthew 6:33). That is my answer. I can redeem my minutes by seeking God first. I need to communicate with God through prayer and by reading His Word. I need to give God the first and best part of my day.

Like I said before the answer is simple, but the application is difficult. It requires me to “die to myself” and my fleshly desires to just tune out through the many “mindless” activities I do everyday. With God’s help I can die to myself and I can “redeem” the minutes of my life, and you can too.

In the last couple of weeks I have been taking small steps to redeem the minutes of my life. Small changes are being made, and things are slowly changing. I will be writing another article about “redeeming your minutes” in a month. In my next article I will tell you about some of the practical ways that I have tried to redeem my time. Until then, make every minute count 🙂

My name is Kim Uden. I have been married for 16 years to my husband Aaron, and we have 3 rambunctious little men of our own. I came to know the Lord around age nine in a small Baptist church in Florida, but it was in my mid to late 20’s that I really understood what it meant to be a follower of Christ. Since then the Lord has graciously shown me what it means to be His disciple, a Christian. I am on a daily journey to know Jesus more every day, and it is the adventure my heart has always been longing for. To catch a glimpse of my journey to know Jesus more, feel free to visit my blog at www.toknowhimjesus.blogspot.com